Watching

It takes a special kind of strength to wait. There is a fear in waiting that needs to be overcome in order find the way ahead, in order to do what is right. And the way to wait and to know for sure comes only from watching. Always watching.

The day started mercifully quiet. It didn't start that way often in the Buchanan house with two police officers and two six-year-olds living there. During the week, the children were always bickering about something. Nick shaved and put on his suit and made four plates of breakfast. Jennifer ran in and out, tending to the children and doing her makeup and making packed lunches. Monday through Friday, mornings were chaos.

But today was Saturday. Saturdays had mornings of magic. No alarms were set. Nick woke up early and went out for a run. Jen would sleep in and end up with one or both of her children snuggling with her. Cody would bounce out of bed, a morning person like his dad. Ella would start slow and soft and subtle. After his shower, Nick would make pancakes and the four of them would sit in front of the television to watch cartoons all together.

This Saturday, however, was quite different. They had a very busy day planned on this particular Saturday. Jennifer set the alarm early, knowing she would need to start the day and get everyone else moving and keep them all organized. Nick had his own list of tasks to take care of, so he wouldn't be able to assist her as much as he normally would.

A million things were running through Jen's mind when the shill beeping sounded. She turned over and hit the button to turn it off as quick as she could. Nick didn't need to get up yet, and she needed some more quiet before the twins were up and causing their well-intentioned havoc.

Nick made a small groan, making Jen smile. "Shh, stay in bed," she murmured. Jen did her best to not make too much noise or otherwise disturb him as she got up and stretched and headed into their master bathroom.

God, she loved this bathroom. The tub was enormous, chosen by Nick specifically so the two of them could share it. And they had, many times. They'd made love in that bath. They'd comforted each other after she had been shot and held each other much later was obscenely pregnant in that bath. She'd liked taking baths when she was pregnant. The water helped alleviate some of the weight of carrying twins inside her womb. She could lie in the bath and sing softly to the babies in her belly until all the bubbles were gone and the water had gone cold. She would call to Nick who would pick her up so she could get out of the bath. He was so strong, her husband. Strong and kind and good. He could still lift her up and carry her and have extremely good sex with her when she'd gained fifty pounds during those nine months of pregnancy.

But no time for a bath today. Perhaps tomorrow, when the weekend was over and they could relax again. No, for now, Jen needed to take a quick shower to wash her hair and wake up her body for the day. She started the water so it would heat up while she got undressed.

Jennifer looked in the mirror above the sinks, scrutinizing her naked body before getting in the shower. She liked to think she still looked rather good. She was now closer to fifty than forty. A lot of the muscle definition and tightness had left her. She wasn't really as active as she used to be. But her arms were still alright and her stomach still flat. The baby weight had come right off her, which was a surprise. Carrying two infants around was good for that, she supposed. Probably why her arms were so nicely toned. But breast feeding and sleepless nights and being too tired to eat for almost a whole year after the babies were born meant that she lost weight very quickly. Perhaps too quickly. Her body certainly wasn't anywhere near the same as it had once been. She'd been thin but soft and smooth. Now, she was rounder in some places but had much sharper angles in others. An interesting change. But she had built two perfect babies inside that body, so whatever had happened was all for the best.

"Admiring yourself?"

She saw Nick standing in the doorway, watching her. "Examining, more like," she said. "You should be sleeping."

"I could be sleeping, but then I'd miss the nice view," he replied with a smile.

"Well I've got to take a shower, so you can view me later."

"How about I view you in the shower?" he offered.

Jen bit her lip. They really didn't have the time for this…but she had gotten up so early…and it would be a nice way to start the day. "Come on, then," she agreed.

Nick stripped off his shirt and trunks, leaving them on the floor behind him as he crossed the bathroom to join her. She opened the glass door to the shower and stepped under the steaming water, leaving room for Nick. Neither of them said a word as he closed the door, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her deeply. After all, there was no miscommunication between them on this. Taking a shower together had only one meaning for them. They both knew what they were doing.

As their wet skin slid together, Jen felt Nick's erection growing against her belly. She nibbled on his bottom lip, making him groan and thrust his hips against her. He pulled his face back from her to trail his kisses down her neck, very careful not to leave any marks. That would do for today. He bowed his head to swirl his tongue around her hardened nipple. Jen gasped at the sensation. Nick's hands made their way down her body, massaging her bum before his fingers slipped down between her legs.

Jen could barely breathe from the way he expertly teased her and the water from the shower getting in her nose and mouth. But she didn't care a single bit. Nick's big, thick fingers were inside her, stretching and readying her. Her inner walls began to flutter, so he pulled his hand away. She whined in disappointment, but Nick did not leave her wanting for long. He was fully hard by now. He took her left leg and lifted it, hooking her knee over his elbow and holding her steady. He used his other hand to line himself up at her entrance and thrust hard inside. Jen bit down on his muscled shoulder to keep from crying out. But this was not an irregular occurrence for them. She knew where she could muffle her moans and screams in places on his body that no one would see.

"Oh fuck, oh god, Jen!" Nick grunted as he pounded into her. The slap of their bodies under the shower spray echoed in the quiet morning. Jen gasped and whimpered his name as she got closer and closer to her release. Nick's mind had gone blank as tried to hold on as long as he could. But finally, her body shattered, clenching his cock inside her and pulsating with pleasure. He came almost immediately, spilling inside her with a few jerking spurts.

As much as he usually liked to hold her close and stay inside her while they recovered, Nick knew they didn't have time for that this morning. Quickie in the shower, nothing more. And Jen still had to wash her hair.

"Nice way to start the day," he said, once he regained the ability to speak.

She chuckled breathlessly. He'd put her leg down, but she felt a bit wobbly. She leaned into his chest and loosely wrapped her arms around his waist. "Best way to start the day. And I think we're still doing pretty well for a couple of middle-aged parents."

"Next time the kids are out of the house, I'll have you screaming the rafters down," he growled.

Jen shivered at that. "I'll hold you to it, Buchanan."

He grinned and bent his head down to kiss her. "Best get a move on now," Nick whispered, kissing her lips against softly.

"I'd say so. Plenty to get to today," she said in agreement.

Nick nodded and finally pulled back for good. "Let me do a quick wash, and I can shave at the sink. I think just eggs and toast for breakfast today, yeah?"

Jen started shampooing her hair while Nick soaped and rinsed his body. "Yeah, they're gonna want pancakes but we just don't have time today. I've got to be out of here by nine to go over to the house. Bernice is going to pick up the kids at eleven. You'll be alright till then?"

"Yeah, no worries." He shifted past her to get out of the shower. "There you go. Get yourself together. You want me to wake them up?"

She considered that for a moment. "Yeah, might be best. You wake them up and say they can put on the telly till breakfast is ready. That should motivate them. But I'll check in on them when I go down, in case they're feeling stubborn."

Nick gave a small laugh. "Any bets on who's gonna throw a fit first today?"

"Cody will probably like the TV idea. Ella, I might have to bribe with something else. We'll see. But I don't think they're the ones who will be having any kind of real tantrum today."

That stopped some of Nick's good humor. His wife was right. Their kids were not going to be the problem today. But isn't that always the way of things? The bride is always the one to make the biggest fuss.